I can ride a scooter. Granted it has been three days now and there are only a few minor kinks to work on like: how to properly brake, steer, navigate, accelerate, etc. I have almost been hit head-on by a truck since I didn't turn quickly enough out of a driveway, ran into a pole while trying to park (engine still on), and almost smacked into a nice man this morning who was helping me pull into traffic. But this wonderful accomplishment gives me independence and the ability to go into town for whatever I need. It takes me about 35 minutes to ride in to Ubud right now but that is at about five miles an hour, granny-style. I'll get there. But hey a quick honk and I get passed by a million other scooters. Some with babies in the front or a bushel full of crops, or even a new dining table that I saw someone driving on his lap today. Scooters are the way. There is no public transport. So I have continually been conquering my fear of oncoming traffic (people will pass someone and drive right at you, with a last minute swerve and slow down. Its unnerving). I am sure it will get easier to navigate the streets but at this exact moment I feel more comfortable driving during the daylight.
Oh, and I learned my lesson of checking the gas gauge before leaving home. Yesterday I didn't. I met some fellow teachers in town for a 2 1/2 hour yoga workshop by a world renowned instructor. It kicked all our butts! And afterwards we had a bite to eat and walked around the shops looking for teacher clothes, that we all desperately need since we didn't really bring any. I think the combo of dehydration, different food and intense warm yoga, put my body in a weird place so I was uncomfortable for hours but determined to find some decently priced clothes, and scoot home before dark (6:15pm). But of course that didn't happen. Everything takes so much longer here than at home. We shopped and walked for hours more and afterwards my phone was almost dead.
I had the intention of going on a fabulous mountain bike ride this morning but it all came down to planning. I didn't know my phone was almost dead or that my tank was almost empty. I could just imagine me: driving home, getting lost, running out of gas and having no phone to call anyone. Therefore I bailed on the early ride and stayed in town. No worries. I actually was productive and found petrol (little clear bottles that look like olive oil at road stands/shops sold in liters), got the phone minutes charged and found my my bank across town and opened up my bankcard. Ahhh, the little things.
On another note school has started and it is wonderful! I feel like all the pressure building for months (packing, moving, training, adjusting, etc..) has lifted and it is all about school and the kids! I am teaching a homeroom class of 8th graders (mostly boys) and all 6-8 English. My classroom is beautiful, I have one of the coveted desks in the school, and I love my team of teachers. And the whole staff actually. All great people. We had a parent-teacher social on campus Friday after work, and it was nice to meet some more parents, although the majority of us were dog-tired from the week. My students are from around the world. When I had a class introduce themselves and say where they are from, none were from the US. Instead places like: Russia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Canada, China, England and Switzerland. I have lots of work to do tonight and my brain is getting fuzzy. More curriculum planning and the process of teaching with limited resources. I think you can find anything here, mostly, but getting it to your classroom can be the hard part. We have open house tomorrow night too. More updates on school later.
Spiders have had a showing in my house. Yes, I had no idea what a million baby spiders look like while invading your house but now I do. I was watching a movie, I looked up and within an hour the egg sac must have hatched in the floor slats and the babies were alive. They crawled their way up to the light fixture and started webbing themselves around the place. Argh! I took the broom and pulled them outside. I didn't want the karma of so many critters all at once. But I sprayed the counters, books, and floor where they came from and got back to my movie. In the next hour, another batch came up and did almost the same thing. It was unreal. I repeated the removal process and went to bed. Damn! So the next night, yes, one more time. I was floored. And the following morning, my neighbor came over in the wee hours to go for a workout (it wasn't light out yet) and she walked right into the web that had now woken up from being swept outside. She freaked! (Sorry Casey!) Talk about her worst nightmare, come alive. But it was her last day in Bali (plane left that night) and so I laughed with her about what a day to remember. We then walked up to campus carrying our spider-don't-walk-into-the-web sticks, listening for snakes and trying not to slip on the wet rock steps. Oh, Bali jungle life. Good times!
That's the latest on my brain. Oh, I did buy Skype unlimited phone minutes to the US today so am now calling people on the phone. If you see a weird unknown number on your phone, it might be me! I just called Peter tonight (my brother) and although it was 1:00am, he answered knowing it was me. I love it! We had a great chat and that makes me really happy.
Home
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
More unimportant lessons
Arrived about one month ago to Bali, give or take a few days. And I have learned a few more not too important things along the way. One big one which may seem minor to most, is how to deal with my hair. Now I knew I would become very akin to a poodle here, with the humidity and I wasn't afraid. What I didn't know was that not only would my hair volume increase in size (which is scary with my thick head already) but that the humidity would create this sticky, dry, really thick mass of mop, like horse hair. Not a pretty sight by any means. So after a few weeks, of many headbands and lots of braids, I opted for a haircut. Sure, why not trim a few inches off? It couldn't hurt right? I would just have less to deal with, was my line of thinking.
Well, I jumped on my neighbor's ride down to a salon last week about 40 minutes away, while her kids had music lessons next door. No problem. I walked in and instantly knew there might be a language issue that I hadn't thought of. So after explaining I just wanted a little trim, and the reply was, 'like Brittany Spears?", while he is holding up a magazine with Brittany on the cover. I said to myself, what does she look like these days? The picture looked okay, so I said, "yes, please." Ha! So I had four inches trimmed off, which I tried to measure with my hands while he is cutting away and many layers. Now I look like a poodle for real. But there was this moment in the salon where he had blown it dry and straightened it. And it looked good. Then after waving goodbye, I walked outside and of course it morphed in minutes. The humidity took it away to new lengths. OMG. Lesson #1: don't cut your hair too short in the tropics just for a quick easy remedy. It doesn't work that way.
After battling a few more days at school and realizing that I only brought a few headbands to tuck in my now Brittany short mop, I searched for more help. I wasn't the only one dealing by the way. A few other newbies were in agreement that this was a bad look for us all. Then a few of us made it last Sunday to Ace Hardware, which has it all, surprise surprise. And I saw the little blowdryer and straightener on the shelf. Yes!
Now, happily thinking I had the tools to deal with the horse/poodle look, I was excited. And to make a very funny, long story short, on the way home while on the highway of sorts, our backdoor of the car opened and things just spilled out into oncoming traffic. Crazy Bali traffic. With one person running into traffic gathering things, street merchants stopping traffic and scooping them up, horns honking and the rest of us holding what is left inside from falling out, it was comical and slightly dangerous. We managed to grab most everything but alas, my hair tools didn't make it home. Now, I am not convinced they are on the street actually. This wouldn't be the first thing I have bought things that never made it home. I don't know how it happens, but if you aren't really careful, you leave things behind or they never make it to your cart/car. This can be quite discouraging since the big stores are a pain to get to and grocery shopping is a journey far away in itself. But that is Lesson #2: don't get all fussed up about things not working out. (That's my Aussie speak coming through) They eventually do work out, just on Bali time.
Back to the hair. After taking a nice walk through the rice paddies the next day and stopping at a little rice paddy spa to have a look, I saw a bottle of hair oil. Interesting. I was worried because it said coconut oil, shea butter and a few other oily things. But I thought to myself, I look bad as it is, now what is a little oil going to do? So after a friend offered her Australian oil remedy and it seemed to do something yesterday, I bravely put on the coconut oil this morning and there is less frizz on the other side. It must be two negatives equal a positive or something like that because adding coconut oil to my frizzy mop, has changed my world. Which of course leads to Lesson #3: Coconuts are amazing!!
I have become slightly excited about drinking green coconut water. Just order a green coconut, it gets sliced open a few strategic ways and handed back to you with a straw, not plastic of course. And it is delicious, fun to drink out of and replaces your electrolytes stripped away while doing anything in the sun. What a few of us are wondering is, does vodka or rum work better with fresh green coconut? Hmmm.
Alright enough lessons for now. Don't worry if you come visit and your hair is a wreck. I got this one now. I think.
Well, I jumped on my neighbor's ride down to a salon last week about 40 minutes away, while her kids had music lessons next door. No problem. I walked in and instantly knew there might be a language issue that I hadn't thought of. So after explaining I just wanted a little trim, and the reply was, 'like Brittany Spears?", while he is holding up a magazine with Brittany on the cover. I said to myself, what does she look like these days? The picture looked okay, so I said, "yes, please." Ha! So I had four inches trimmed off, which I tried to measure with my hands while he is cutting away and many layers. Now I look like a poodle for real. But there was this moment in the salon where he had blown it dry and straightened it. And it looked good. Then after waving goodbye, I walked outside and of course it morphed in minutes. The humidity took it away to new lengths. OMG. Lesson #1: don't cut your hair too short in the tropics just for a quick easy remedy. It doesn't work that way.
After battling a few more days at school and realizing that I only brought a few headbands to tuck in my now Brittany short mop, I searched for more help. I wasn't the only one dealing by the way. A few other newbies were in agreement that this was a bad look for us all. Then a few of us made it last Sunday to Ace Hardware, which has it all, surprise surprise. And I saw the little blowdryer and straightener on the shelf. Yes!
Now, happily thinking I had the tools to deal with the horse/poodle look, I was excited. And to make a very funny, long story short, on the way home while on the highway of sorts, our backdoor of the car opened and things just spilled out into oncoming traffic. Crazy Bali traffic. With one person running into traffic gathering things, street merchants stopping traffic and scooping them up, horns honking and the rest of us holding what is left inside from falling out, it was comical and slightly dangerous. We managed to grab most everything but alas, my hair tools didn't make it home. Now, I am not convinced they are on the street actually. This wouldn't be the first thing I have bought things that never made it home. I don't know how it happens, but if you aren't really careful, you leave things behind or they never make it to your cart/car. This can be quite discouraging since the big stores are a pain to get to and grocery shopping is a journey far away in itself. But that is Lesson #2: don't get all fussed up about things not working out. (That's my Aussie speak coming through) They eventually do work out, just on Bali time.
Back to the hair. After taking a nice walk through the rice paddies the next day and stopping at a little rice paddy spa to have a look, I saw a bottle of hair oil. Interesting. I was worried because it said coconut oil, shea butter and a few other oily things. But I thought to myself, I look bad as it is, now what is a little oil going to do? So after a friend offered her Australian oil remedy and it seemed to do something yesterday, I bravely put on the coconut oil this morning and there is less frizz on the other side. It must be two negatives equal a positive or something like that because adding coconut oil to my frizzy mop, has changed my world. Which of course leads to Lesson #3: Coconuts are amazing!!
I have become slightly excited about drinking green coconut water. Just order a green coconut, it gets sliced open a few strategic ways and handed back to you with a straw, not plastic of course. And it is delicious, fun to drink out of and replaces your electrolytes stripped away while doing anything in the sun. What a few of us are wondering is, does vodka or rum work better with fresh green coconut? Hmmm.
Alright enough lessons for now. Don't worry if you come visit and your hair is a wreck. I got this one now. I think.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Friday Night
Today I did not wake up to a mouse skirting through my dishes. Lovely! Then while listening to OPB (it is fun even though the time difference puts me at All Things Considered instead of morning news), I saw Sophie (my niece) on Skype and called her. We had a quick chat, and it was great. I did wonder why she was awake at 5:30am? But it was so nice to connect. I love Skype. Then off to work, crossing the bridge and up the hill to campus. Great commute.
We had a good albeit long day of staff training. I really do love the staff here at GS, and know we have a lot of work to do but we are all here to do our best. Now at Friday night, having just paid my online bills and drinking a little iced Kalua, I feel settled. It is hard to not go away this weekend to the beach, but with finances still thin and a lot of school work/classroom shopping to do, I think it is best to stay home. So we're having a little village community potluck and maybe head to Ubud for drinks later. The tomorrow I will ride my bike in to town and meet up with some co-workers to explore Ubud. It is such a big place, I can't keep track of the streets yet. And the amount of tourists/people traffic is astounding. My motorbike comes Sunday, and then the real fun/nervousness begins. It will open some doors for me to get out of the jungle a little more and not be so dependent on sharing a car or driver.
As expected, I have hired a Pembantu and I love her! She comes about three days a week and cleans my place, takes my laundry out to be cleaned, picks up and refolds it, mops my stone-laid bathroom, makes my bed and basically makes my place shine! I feel spoiled and silly with a 800 sq ft house but I have come to realize that in the tropics, all hands on deck keeps the critters more at bay. She speaks a bit of English and is so sweet. I texted her tonight a thank you for the week and she just gushed back with appreciation. I think it is customary to help employ a local family when living in Bali, so I am just doing my part. She and her husband were both unemployed. But I love it. My little place seems bigger and so much brighter after she has been here. And I know with long school days, it will be lovely to have her here. She will even teach me a little Indonesian cooking.
I was actually looking at moving into the bigger one bedroom higher off the ground and closer to everyone else here in the village, and get out of the cremation smoke from the nearby temple but I think I will stay here for now. I think if a cremation happens I will be gone for most of the day or take off on a weekend. But that is really intense to have nearby. My bungalow is the first in line, downwind of the burning area. Yikes. There have been three so far since I arrived. But I know I will eventually move closer to town so it is all good. And I have heard that the process has a purification piece afterwards so all is calm in the spirit world. And I usually burn some incense afterwards as well. Also because I have a bathroom on dirt level, more options for snakes to come in but that is a few months down the road in the rainy season. One day at a time right now.
Bali is all about rituals, ceremony and religion. Incredible. I am not sure if I wrote this earlier but the statistic is that a woman here usually spends about 20% of her life preparing, participating and cleaning up from a ritual/ceremony. So we have a woman that comes by the Bamboo village every day and leaves an offering at all our doorsteps, with lit incense.
I am off to make a salad and eat dinner with the families. The sun is setting, the geckoes are chirping in the ceiling and the mossies (Aussie for mosquitos) are nibbling at my ankles. My ankles look like I have chicken pox. It really is the little gnat things that do the damage. I am still trying to build up my vitamin B levels for that reason but until then, it's time for bug spray.
I have pictures on Facebook but will try and post here too. Haven't quite figured that one out yet.
We had a good albeit long day of staff training. I really do love the staff here at GS, and know we have a lot of work to do but we are all here to do our best. Now at Friday night, having just paid my online bills and drinking a little iced Kalua, I feel settled. It is hard to not go away this weekend to the beach, but with finances still thin and a lot of school work/classroom shopping to do, I think it is best to stay home. So we're having a little village community potluck and maybe head to Ubud for drinks later. The tomorrow I will ride my bike in to town and meet up with some co-workers to explore Ubud. It is such a big place, I can't keep track of the streets yet. And the amount of tourists/people traffic is astounding. My motorbike comes Sunday, and then the real fun/nervousness begins. It will open some doors for me to get out of the jungle a little more and not be so dependent on sharing a car or driver.
As expected, I have hired a Pembantu and I love her! She comes about three days a week and cleans my place, takes my laundry out to be cleaned, picks up and refolds it, mops my stone-laid bathroom, makes my bed and basically makes my place shine! I feel spoiled and silly with a 800 sq ft house but I have come to realize that in the tropics, all hands on deck keeps the critters more at bay. She speaks a bit of English and is so sweet. I texted her tonight a thank you for the week and she just gushed back with appreciation. I think it is customary to help employ a local family when living in Bali, so I am just doing my part. She and her husband were both unemployed. But I love it. My little place seems bigger and so much brighter after she has been here. And I know with long school days, it will be lovely to have her here. She will even teach me a little Indonesian cooking.
I was actually looking at moving into the bigger one bedroom higher off the ground and closer to everyone else here in the village, and get out of the cremation smoke from the nearby temple but I think I will stay here for now. I think if a cremation happens I will be gone for most of the day or take off on a weekend. But that is really intense to have nearby. My bungalow is the first in line, downwind of the burning area. Yikes. There have been three so far since I arrived. But I know I will eventually move closer to town so it is all good. And I have heard that the process has a purification piece afterwards so all is calm in the spirit world. And I usually burn some incense afterwards as well. Also because I have a bathroom on dirt level, more options for snakes to come in but that is a few months down the road in the rainy season. One day at a time right now.
Bali is all about rituals, ceremony and religion. Incredible. I am not sure if I wrote this earlier but the statistic is that a woman here usually spends about 20% of her life preparing, participating and cleaning up from a ritual/ceremony. So we have a woman that comes by the Bamboo village every day and leaves an offering at all our doorsteps, with lit incense.
I am off to make a salad and eat dinner with the families. The sun is setting, the geckoes are chirping in the ceiling and the mossies (Aussie for mosquitos) are nibbling at my ankles. My ankles look like I have chicken pox. It really is the little gnat things that do the damage. I am still trying to build up my vitamin B levels for that reason but until then, it's time for bug spray.
I have pictures on Facebook but will try and post here too. Haven't quite figured that one out yet.
Monday, August 8, 2011
My Frog
I am sitting here in my little bungalow tonight, having completed day six of school training, a three hour journey for groceries and now hanging with my frog friend who just hopped in to say hello. He doesn't seem to want to leave this time. He is sitting on my little bench/couch. So I am just sharing space.
Last week: :(
Haven't spent too much time in the main nearby town, Ubud, where all the expats and tourists hang out, so we (Chad, Sarah and crew) visited friends on the way to dinner one night. We walked through the Monkey Forest to reach town. Balinese monkeys everywhere, curious and mischievous. Almost out of the forest, with the darkness settling in, we gathered to talk about where to go. And as we turned our backs the two kids, Ethan and Jaya (daughter of co-workers) ran to have one more look. And we heard a scream. Ethan got bit by a monkey. Poor guy was terrified as two monkeys were surrounding him. So he had to get rabies shots, with Sarah & Chad also getting them as well for support. A nice dinner turned into the local clinic panic with lots of tears. But the reality is that rabies are here. About 130 people a day get bit by dogs, and many don't get the shots, thinking there are no rabies. Not good. I have to say that after trying to run or walk around the neighborhood and having a few dogs chase, it is not relaxing. I might just get the vaccine as well and have decided that running on the streets is not at all fun/stress-free. So today we headed up to the school and ran laps around the little field at 6am. It is like running in a green fishbowl, but no dogs or traffic to battle. Good!
Weekend highlights:
Spent another weekend at a beach (Padangbai) with Sarah, Chad, Casey and the kids. This time we tried to be frugal. It was about two hours north, up into the more mountainous region. This one was the favorite by far. The rooms were simple, the ocean beautiful and the grounds with three pools were lovely. Casey and I shared a room for $20 each, and this time I brought a little cooler full with food and plates so we didn't have to buy lunch out. Split a great dinner and it was $16 total. Found the stunning white sands beach everyone talks about. Bought one thing on the beach from the local vendors and then laughed at myself. I was the target for the next hour, that silly "boleh" (white person) who will buy! I spent less than $8 on a sarong and wooden box. But all the vendors wanted my money. Or was it my charm?
School highlights:
It has been really exciting getting to know everyone at school. We had a few days of field trips around Bali to know where to get things we might need while living here. And then after conquering the bank, immigration, visas, phones, hardware store, school needs, etc. all are in better positions to set up a life. I actually bought a motorbike helmet, although my bike hasn't arrived yet. We had a motorbike practice on campus the other day with great instructors. Although I am terrified, it should be fine. It is the most convenient way to get around. (The bad statistic is that 758 people were in road accidents from March to June this year, up from 500 all last year. Damn!) So on another note, today was the first day the entire staff was present, with last week dedicated to us newbies. I had the opportunity, with the Green Camp leader Connor, to run an afternoon of team building activities. With about 40 people, it was fun, hot, hilarious, and entertaining. I felt like I was back at Outdoor School. Ohhh, nostalgia. The staff look solid, interesting, hardworking and fun. Now of course we all have lots of planning and organizing, more presenters, a few more outings but we should be ready to go when the kids arrive.
Village highlights:
My neighbor Ascher, asked the other day if any of us wanted a massage. Yes! So last week (and now scheduled for every week) a young woman will come to our little village and give one of the best massages I have ever had, in my bed. A very intense full body massage in my own house for about $12, including tip. I almost cried it was so good. And my pembantu (house helper) starts tomorrow to help clean, wash laundry, buy local vegetables, etc. I never thought I would hire someone to clean a 800 sq ft house, but I am. It is expected in some ways that every family that moves here, helps support another local family. So I am. And now I know that one more sweep, wipe down and cobweb clearing will help with the critters. Things move in fast here!
I am adjusting to my little house in the jungle. The other day, I ran home from school to grab something and saw this mile long trail of little red ants across my floor. Arrghh! I swept them out and put ant chalk everywhere all in about five minutes. My floor looks like a blackboard with a weird physics lesson in chalk all over it. But hey, it works. And last night I did a few crazy-looking swerves as a bat dodged my body doing figure eights around the house. I felt him as he glided by.
My house is cozy, and my neighbors are great. Sometimes I do feel like I might want to live closer to town, just for the convenience of it all. I have heard of music nights in town, literary night, game night, yoga classes, etc. But we'll see. For now, I am here and that's the best place to be.
Last week: :(
Haven't spent too much time in the main nearby town, Ubud, where all the expats and tourists hang out, so we (Chad, Sarah and crew) visited friends on the way to dinner one night. We walked through the Monkey Forest to reach town. Balinese monkeys everywhere, curious and mischievous. Almost out of the forest, with the darkness settling in, we gathered to talk about where to go. And as we turned our backs the two kids, Ethan and Jaya (daughter of co-workers) ran to have one more look. And we heard a scream. Ethan got bit by a monkey. Poor guy was terrified as two monkeys were surrounding him. So he had to get rabies shots, with Sarah & Chad also getting them as well for support. A nice dinner turned into the local clinic panic with lots of tears. But the reality is that rabies are here. About 130 people a day get bit by dogs, and many don't get the shots, thinking there are no rabies. Not good. I have to say that after trying to run or walk around the neighborhood and having a few dogs chase, it is not relaxing. I might just get the vaccine as well and have decided that running on the streets is not at all fun/stress-free. So today we headed up to the school and ran laps around the little field at 6am. It is like running in a green fishbowl, but no dogs or traffic to battle. Good!
Weekend highlights:
Spent another weekend at a beach (Padangbai) with Sarah, Chad, Casey and the kids. This time we tried to be frugal. It was about two hours north, up into the more mountainous region. This one was the favorite by far. The rooms were simple, the ocean beautiful and the grounds with three pools were lovely. Casey and I shared a room for $20 each, and this time I brought a little cooler full with food and plates so we didn't have to buy lunch out. Split a great dinner and it was $16 total. Found the stunning white sands beach everyone talks about. Bought one thing on the beach from the local vendors and then laughed at myself. I was the target for the next hour, that silly "boleh" (white person) who will buy! I spent less than $8 on a sarong and wooden box. But all the vendors wanted my money. Or was it my charm?
School highlights:
It has been really exciting getting to know everyone at school. We had a few days of field trips around Bali to know where to get things we might need while living here. And then after conquering the bank, immigration, visas, phones, hardware store, school needs, etc. all are in better positions to set up a life. I actually bought a motorbike helmet, although my bike hasn't arrived yet. We had a motorbike practice on campus the other day with great instructors. Although I am terrified, it should be fine. It is the most convenient way to get around. (The bad statistic is that 758 people were in road accidents from March to June this year, up from 500 all last year. Damn!) So on another note, today was the first day the entire staff was present, with last week dedicated to us newbies. I had the opportunity, with the Green Camp leader Connor, to run an afternoon of team building activities. With about 40 people, it was fun, hot, hilarious, and entertaining. I felt like I was back at Outdoor School. Ohhh, nostalgia. The staff look solid, interesting, hardworking and fun. Now of course we all have lots of planning and organizing, more presenters, a few more outings but we should be ready to go when the kids arrive.
Village highlights:
My neighbor Ascher, asked the other day if any of us wanted a massage. Yes! So last week (and now scheduled for every week) a young woman will come to our little village and give one of the best massages I have ever had, in my bed. A very intense full body massage in my own house for about $12, including tip. I almost cried it was so good. And my pembantu (house helper) starts tomorrow to help clean, wash laundry, buy local vegetables, etc. I never thought I would hire someone to clean a 800 sq ft house, but I am. It is expected in some ways that every family that moves here, helps support another local family. So I am. And now I know that one more sweep, wipe down and cobweb clearing will help with the critters. Things move in fast here!
I am adjusting to my little house in the jungle. The other day, I ran home from school to grab something and saw this mile long trail of little red ants across my floor. Arrghh! I swept them out and put ant chalk everywhere all in about five minutes. My floor looks like a blackboard with a weird physics lesson in chalk all over it. But hey, it works. And last night I did a few crazy-looking swerves as a bat dodged my body doing figure eights around the house. I felt him as he glided by.
My house is cozy, and my neighbors are great. Sometimes I do feel like I might want to live closer to town, just for the convenience of it all. I have heard of music nights in town, literary night, game night, yoga classes, etc. But we'll see. For now, I am here and that's the best place to be.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Ahhh. Missing home.
I'll keep this entry short and simple. I just had my first Skype chats from Bali with Angeline and her family vacationing on the East Coast and then the Fitzarnold family in Bend. It is so amazing to catch up in real time. I love it! But now I am a homesick. Don't get me wrong, I am so happy I made the leap to try something new. But seeing familiar faces and smiles, touches the heartstrings. And pulls and pulls and pulls. I just go back to the idea that this will take time to adjust to. It isn't a long trip, but a move. I have never lived outside of Oregon before, so Indonesia is just big jump. Leaving my job, friends, community, family, Fiji, etc. can be jarring all at once. But someday I will look back and say to myself, "wow, I did that!" Just at this exact moment, at almost midnight, sitting by myself in my little bungalow, I am homesick.
Today we had our first staff orientation and all is well. The new GS staff look great, diverse in all respects. I am excited to work with everyone. We met the admin, we chatted, we toured, we ate, we opened Bali bank accounts, we learned a little Bahasa Indonesia. Tomorrow we will meet the founder of GS, tour the bamboo factory (around the corner from where we live in the Bamboo Village), learn to ride motor bikes (how everyone gets around!), learn more Bahasa, learn how to purchase order for school, etc. And so on for the week. I am glad they put this orientation together. It is helpful and comforting. Next week I think the week involves curriculum development and planning. Thank goodness for a long training session. There is much to do.
Off to bed now.
Today we had our first staff orientation and all is well. The new GS staff look great, diverse in all respects. I am excited to work with everyone. We met the admin, we chatted, we toured, we ate, we opened Bali bank accounts, we learned a little Bahasa Indonesia. Tomorrow we will meet the founder of GS, tour the bamboo factory (around the corner from where we live in the Bamboo Village), learn to ride motor bikes (how everyone gets around!), learn more Bahasa, learn how to purchase order for school, etc. And so on for the week. I am glad they put this orientation together. It is helpful and comforting. Next week I think the week involves curriculum development and planning. Thank goodness for a long training session. There is much to do.
Off to bed now.
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